Freud: The Theory of the Unconscious

by Octave Mannoni

Octave Mannoni worked in France, Madagascar and Africa throughout the twentieth century to extend Lacanian psychoanalytical methods into the field of ethnology. He is best known for his research into the psychic repercussions of colonialism’s constitutive the domination of a mass by a minority, economic exploitation, paternalism and racialism. The Theory of the Unconscious is a well-crafted and concise introduction to the life, work and theories of psychoanalysis’ founder. Mannoni draws on the perspective provided by his Lacanian work on colonialism to provide a unique intellectual biography of Freud, tracing the genesis and development of various key psychoanalytical concepts. Mannoni provides a critical account of the various shortcomings in Freud’s work, as well as its strengths.

Genres: Psychoanalysis, Nonfiction, Psychology

224 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1968

Reviews

[Charlie Kruse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had a difficult time following this book in a sense that it seemed to kind of be a psychoanalyst's take on Freud's intellectual development. The prose is occasionally obscure rather than explanatory, and Mannoni's commentary blends with the historical in a strange way.

[Czarny Pies · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Freud" est une biographie intellectuelle très brève. Les photos occupent le cinquième de pages dans ce volume très mince. Mannoni a étudié le psychanalyse sous Jacques Lacan et on voit clairement l'influence de son maitre sans ce livre. Lacan s'intéressait énormément à l'aspect philosophique de Freud et croyait que l'inconscient était structuré comme un langage. Lacan croyait aussi que l'on surestimait l'importance que Freud attribuait aux pulsions sexuelles dans le comportement humain.
Dans son livre Mannoni prête beaucoup d'attention aux structures de rêves, aux lapsus et aux jeux de mots ("witzes"). Il accorde moins d'importance aux tabous et pulsions sexuelles. Il offre au lecteur un récit fascinant du parcours intellectuelle de Freud qui a passé par l'électrothérapie, l'hypnotisme, et le neuropathologie avant de créer son système basé sur l'analyse de rêves.
Le grand problème avec le livre est qu'il est trop court pour son ampleur. Le résultat est que Mannoni commente et explique la genèse d'un concept mais il ne le décrit pas. Le lecteur qui n'a pas lu les grandes œuvres de Freud dans un passé récent aura beaucoup du mal à suivre les arguments de Mannoni.

[Reuben Woolley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good news: I understand more of Freud and think a lot more of him than “weird guy who believed in the Oedipus complex”

The bad news: I still don’t really get Freud, I think I chose the wrong book as a starting point. There are certainly elements of this that were really useful, but I think a psychoanalyst is slightly too familiar with the subject manner to go slowly enough for me, essentially a complete beginner, to understand

[Adrián · Rating 2 out of 5]

el libro resulta cansino si es que de antemano no tienes conocimiento de conceptos freudianos (como es mi caso). el último capítulo me resultó infumable, por lo que no lo leí completo; pero digamos que lo terminé.

[Roz · Rating 3 out of 5]

It presupposes a lot of knowledge about Freud and I found it a little impenetrable at times, but I also learned a little about him and his work.

[Micah · Rating 3 out of 5]

"To reduce the analyst to the role of physician and the neurotic to that of patient - although Freud in the early days used such language - would be to enroll the analysts in the ranks of the repressive powers."

Some interesting thoughts here on Freud's identification with the patient, transference with Fliess, the different foundations provided by Interpretation of Dreams and the Three Essays, narcissism and the ego as image, etc.

[June · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not the best overview of Freud's ideas.

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would be best for someone who is already familiar with Freud's ideas and history. It is more so a meta-analysis of Freud's ideas.

[Aung Myat Minn · Rating 2 out of 5]

reading freud's works iis much better.
this book is not so helpful(and even boring for me) as much as the review describes.